Ken Ham's 'Answers Mega Conference' to Present Latest Creationism Research
Ken Ham's Answers in Genesis is getting ready to host the Answers Mega Conference in Tennessee from July 22 to 25, which he says will present the latest research in creationism from leading scientists.
"At Answers in Genesis, we understand the importance of backing up what we write and lecture about with high-quality scientific and theological research," Ham wrote on Monday.
He also highlighted AiG's Answers Research Journal (ARJ), which collects both scientific and theological research on biblical events such as the great Flood, saying that the papers are reviewed by well-qualified scholars before they are published.
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Ham, who is also the president of the Creation Museum, added that the ARJ has come into controversy since it was launched in January 2008, with skeptics questioning the legitimacy of the scientific research it presents.
"Over five years since our launch, we thank the Lord for His provision and blessing that has proved the skeptics wrong," Ham added.
The journal is up to it sixth annual volume, with the AiG president saying that 2013 has really seen it take off.
"By June 30, after only half a year, we have already published 17 papers in 264 pages – more than our average annual offering," Ham explained. "With at least 13 more papers already prepared for publication or at an advanced stage of review, Volume 6 in 2013 will be our biggest yet, probably double the size of previous volumes. That represents at least one new paper published online every other week all through the year."
Some notable speakers at the Answers Mega Conference who are currently scheduled to speak include Todd Friel of Wretched Radio; Eric Hovind, president of Creation Today, and Tony Perkins, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council.
The July conference promises to offer "powerful sessions, a complete children's program, stargazer nights, a geology field trip, a group picnic, and even includes passes to the Answers Research Summit."
The Creation Museum and the Young-Earth creation theory have been criticized by some, including pastors from the Christian community.
In June, an assistant manager at the Cincinnati Museum Center said that the Creation Museum "misleads the public" and is a "pockmark on our religion."
"The fact that someone profits by misrepresenting their faith to children and families is shameful," the manager wrote in a post online. The Cincinnati Museum later clarified, however, that his remarks do not represent the institution.
And earlier this year, Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church of Dallas came under fire from Ham for remarks he made on "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox.
Jeffress told host Bill O'Reilly that the Bible does not contradict science, and added: "It may contradict the passing fads of scientific theory that are always evolving. For example, it used to be thought that the cosmos always existed. But, then we had Sir Frederick Coyle, who named the Big Bang Theory, who said, 'Guess what? The universe had a beginning 13.7 billion years ago,'"
"One of the things fundamentalist Christians mess up on is they try to say the earth is 6,000 years old. The Bible never makes that claim," Jeffress said.
To those comments, Ham responded: "It is so distressing that so many of our Christian leaders don't seem to understand that to accept man's fallible beliefs of billions of years, Big Bang etc, they are really undermining the authority of God's Word."
